Our C atlzolic Heritage in T e:xas
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dians, whose power was definitely broken by 1829. As raids became less frequent, interest in the militia diminished and its organization deteriorated until the outbreak of the Revolution. 19 The independence and daring of the Indians in 1823, however, knew almost no bounds. Each settler had his hands full and often was unable to give assistance to the surveyors, who were busy determining the limits of the various grants in order that Bastrop could issue the first titles. Murder, robbery, horse-and cattle-stealing, wanton destruction of hogs, cattle, and crops by roving bands of Indians were continuous. Austin resolved to teach the Tonkawas their first lesson in September, 1823. When a party of braves raided the Brazos, Austin organized a group of about thirty men, overtook the raiders, compelled Chief Carita to return the stolen horses, and ordered the culprits publicly whipped. The chief and his men were then told to leave the settlements on the Brazos alone, and warned that the next time the guilty would be shot. 20 The Tonkawas pestering the colonies in the early days consisted of two bands. Chief Carita headed one group of about one hundred and fifty warriors. These roamed between the Brazos and the Colorado, below Bastrop. In May, 1824, Chief Carita signed a formal treaty with Austin, agreeing not to bother any of the settlements on the Colorado. But the other band of Tonkawas under Chief Sandia, who ranged along the upper Colorado, continued to be a menace. The same firm policy, however, was adopted towards them. Captain Amos Rawls, in command of the militia in the region, was instructed to demand from Chief Sandia the return of stolen horses and the surrender of thieves. The culprits, if surrendered, were to be whipped and their heads shaved. If the horses were not returned, he was to seize and .hold for ten days enough horses, mules, and other Tonkawa property equivalent to the loss; then in the event that the stolen animals were not restored, he was to sell the Tonkawa property to compensate the owners. Raids by Tonkawas became less frequent by the summer of 1824, and prac- tically ceased after April, 1826, when a large group of warriors was killed in an attack by the settlers on the Lower Colorado. 21 l9Barker, "The Government of Austin's Colony, 1821-1831," The Q11arterl,,, XXI, 232-233. i°Kuykendall, "Recollections of Capt. Gibson Kuykendall," The Quarterly, Vll, 31-40. 2 1Kuykendall, "Extracts from A Biographical Sketch of Capt. John Ingram," The Quarterl,,, VI, 326-328; Barker, Life of Austin, 103-104.
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